Typewriter signal device for indicating last line to be typed

ABSTRACT

A plate-like paper guide has a clamp thereon arranged to support it on a typewriter in inclined position behind the typewriter to receive paper thereon which comes off the platen. A switch is supported in an upper position on the paper guide and has a switch arm in the path of the paper. The switch is in a circuit with a signal that indicates to the typist that the last line to be typed on the sheet has been reached. One embodiment of the switch is longitudinally adjustable along the paper guide so that the signal device can be adjusted for papers of different length. The switch arm is made selectively so that it can be moved to closed position by abutment thereagainst of the leading edge of the paper being typed.

United States Patent [1 1 Wood [451 Sept. 30, 1975 1 TYPEWRITER SIGNAL DEVICE FOR INDICATING LAST LINE TO BE TYPED [22] Filed: Nov. 16, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 416,377

[52] U.S. Cl... 197/189; 200/52 R; 200/6l.18; 340/259 [51] Int. C1. 841.] 29/44; B65H 25/14; 60813 21/00 [58] Field of Search 200/52 R, 61.18. 61.19,

Primary E.\uminer-James R. Scott Attorney. Agent. or Firm-Eugene M. Eckelman [57] ABSTRACT A plate-like paper guide has a clamp thereon arranged to support it on a typewriter in inclined position behind the typewriter to receive paper thereon which comes off the platen. A switch is supported in an upper position on the paper guide and has a switch arm in the path of the paper. The switch is in a circuit with a signal that indicates to the typist that the last line to be typed on the sheet has been reached. One embodiment of the switch is longitudinally adjustable along the paper guide so that the signal device can be adjusted for papers of different length. The switch arm is made selectively so that it can be moved to closed position by abutment thereagainst of the leading edge of the paper being typed.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures US. Patent Sept. 30,1975

. cw u n 4 Q TYPEWRITER SIGNAL DEVICE FOR INDICATING LAST LINE TO BE TYPED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to new and useful improvements in typewriter signal devices which indicate that the page has been typed to the desired fullness.

It is a difficult problem for typists to type sheets to the same fullness each time since the end of the sheet is under the platen when the page is nearly full and is not visible. It is either necessary to guess when the sheet reaches the desired fullness or to mark the sheet somehow to show where the last line is to appear. Such is inconvenient to the typist and is time consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention and forming a primary objective thereof, a signal device is provided which is adapted to be mounted on a typewriter and which is engageable by the leading edge of the sheet to signal the typist when the sheet has been typed to the desired fullness.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a signal device of the type described employing a paper guide adapted to be mounted on a typewriter for supporting a sheet of typed paper as it comes from the platen and having a switch located thereon and in a circuit to a signal such that when the paper engages the switch the circuit to the signal will be closed, thus indicating to the operator that the sheet has been typed full.

Another object is to provide a signal device of the type described wherein the switch is adjustable on the paper guide so as to vary the distance from the bottom of the sheet at which the signal is energized and also to be adjustable for use with sheets of different length. Still another object is to provide a signal device of the type described wherein the switch is removably mounted on the paper guide by clip means.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the present signal device as mounted on a typewriter, the outline of the typewriter being shown in phantom but pertinent portions thereof being shown in full lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a paper guide portion of the device, this view being taken on the line 22 of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view of a switch included in the present invention, said view being taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a modified form of switch.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference first to FIG. 1, the numeral repre sents in phantom the outline of a typewriter as viewed from the side. It comprises a platen 12 and a guide plate 14 behind the platen by means of which a sheet of a platelike paper guide which as best seen in FIG.

2 is elongated and is tapered to a narrow dimension toward the upper end thereof. The bottom end of this body member has a turned in or hook portion 22, FIG. 1, and pivotally connected at 24 to an upper portion of I the paper guide and on its back side is a clamp arm 26 having a bottom inwardly bent or hook portion 28. A tension spring 30 is connected between the paper guide 20 and the clamp arm 26 to urge the clamp member toward said paper guide.

The device is mounted on a typewriter by pivoting the clamp arm 26 away from the paper guide against the action of spring 30 and positioning the hook ends 22 and 28 in engagement with the upper and lower edges, respectively, of the wall section 18 of the typewriter, and then releasing the clamp arm. If the typewriter does not have the wall section 18 of the type shown, it generally has some rear structure on which the device can be mounted.

The paper guide 20 has a slot 32 leading inwardly from its upper end, and a switch housing 34 constructed of an electrically insulating material is supported in such slot. For this purpose, the switch housing has side grooves 36 arranged to receive the defining edges 37 of slot 32, the engagement of the switch in the slot comprising a selected frictional one so that while the switch can be selectively located by manually moving it in the slot, it will remain stationary when engaged by the paper, as will be more apparent hereinafter. As best seen in FIG. 3, the grooves 36 are provided adjacent the top of the switch housing 34 so that the top surface of the latter will be below the top surface of the paper guide to prevent the leading edge of the paper from hanging up on it. In a preferred arrangement, the defining edges 37 of the slot are tapered on their top edges and the grooves 36 are correspondingly shaped.

With particular reference to FIG. 4, the switch hous ing has two contact strips 38 and 40 therein. Contact strip 38 has a bottom flat segment 38a to which a lead wire 42 is attached. The segment 38a leads into a U- shaped bend 38b at one end from which an upper flat segment 380 extends. The other end of segment 38a is bent up at 38d into an upright segment 38e which has a switch contact 44 thereon. Segment 38e extends through an opening 46 in the top wall of the switch housing.

The contact strip 40 is right angular in configuration, having a segment 40a extending into the area between the segments 38c formed by the U-shape bend 38b and a segment 40]) extending upwardly substantially parallel with segment 38c. Segment 40b projects through the opening 46 to a point above the top of the switch housing for engagement by the edge of the paper moving up the paper guide, this segment having an angled portion 48 at its upper end directed toward the base of the paper guide so that the edge of the paper will catch thereon. Segment 40b ordinarily is out of engagement with the contact 44, and while it is sufficiently rigid to maintain itself normally out of engagement with contact 44 it is at the same time sufficiently flexible to be bent back against the contact 44 when engaged by the leading edge of a sheet ofpaper moving up the paper guide. A lead wire 50 is connected to the contact strip 40 and extends outwardly of the housing with lead wire 42 through an opening 51 in the housing.

A U-shaped insulating strip 52 extends on both sides of the contact segment 40a to provide insulation between the two contact strips. An end segment 52a of the insulating strip extends upwardly at the end of segment 38a to insulate such end from contact segment In a preferred arrangement, the contact strip 38 is formed of a somewhat rigid but bendable material so that the assembly can be held together by clamping them between the segments 38a and 380.

The wires 42 and 50 are in circuit with a source of potential 54, FIG. 1, such as a battery, and a signal 56. The signal may comprise a light, a buzzer, or any other warning device, and if comprising a visual signal device, is mounted so as to be clearly seen by the typist.

FIG. is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but shows a somewhat different embodiment. The embodiment of FIG. 5 is not enclosed in a housing but similarly uses a pair of contact strips 60 and 62. Contact strip 60 has a flat bottom segment 60a which at one end leads into a U-shaped bend 60b from which leads an upper flat segment 60:. The end of segment 60c opposite from the U-shaped bend 60b is reversely turned in another U-shaped bend 60d and extends parallel to the segment 600 in a segment 60. The end of segment 60a opposite from the U-shaped bend 60b is bent upwardly at 60f to form an upright segment 60g supporting a contact 64.

Contact strip 62 has a flat segment 62a between segments 60a and 60:- and is bent upwardly at one end 62b to form a segment 62c which extends substantially parallel with the segment 60g. An upper portion 68 of the segment 62:- is angled back so as to catch the edge of the paper coming up the paper guide. As in the FIG. 4 embodiment, the segment 620 is sufficiently rigid to maintain itself normally away from the segment 60g but at the same time is sufficiently flexible that a single sheet of paper will move it rearwardly into engagement with contact 64. A U-shaped insulating strip 70 is disposed between the two contact strips 60 and 62.

The reversely turned segment 60s serves as a clip for mounting the embodiment of FIG. 5 on a paper guide or the like. For such mounting, it is merely clipped over the end edge of the paper guide and held thereon by a frictional grip between the segments 60(- and 60e. As stated, this embodiment is not enclosed within a housing but is covered by a coating of epoxy 72 or other insulating layer on its exposed surfaces. The structure of FIG. 5 is very simplified and inexpensive to manufacture.

In operation, the device is installed on the back of the typewriter and arranged such that as the paper is typed upon and comes off the platen, the leading edge travels up the paper guide and engages the switch arm 40b or 620. Such engagement of the switch arm moves it into engagement with its contact 44 or 64 to close the circuit to the signal 52. With the proper location of the switch housing 34 in slot 32, energization of the signal device 52 will indicate to the operator that the last line to be typed on the sheet has been reached.

According to the present invention, a device is provided which is easily mounted on existing typewriters and which employs a novel manner of advising the typist that the page is full, namely, by utilizing mechanism that is actuated by the leading edge of paper coming off the platen. The clamping device 26 of the paper guide is designed to attach to substantially all machines. The embodiment of FIG. 1 is adjustable to accommodate any length of paper and to accommodate any desired margin at the bottom of such paper, such being accomplished by adjustment of the switch housing 34 in the slot 32 of the paper guide.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A signal device for typewriters to indicate when a sheet of paper has been typed to the desired distance from the bottom, comprising a. a paper guide,

b. means arranged to mount said paper guide on a typewriter such that a sheet of paper being typed upon slides flatwise up the guide,

c. means defining a longitudinal slot in said paper guide,

d. an electric circuit having a source of potential,

e. a switch in said circuit,

f. a housing enclosing said switch having forward and rearward ends and opposite sides,

g. said switch having a pair of contact strips of electrically conducting material,

h. said contact strips projecting upwardly from said housing with one of said strips being stationary and the other strip being movable,

. said movable strip being forward of said stationary strip and being movable rearwardly into contact with said stationary strip when engaged by a leading edge of a sheet of paper moving up the guide,

j. one of said strips comprising bendable material and having an insulated U-shaped bend around the other strip within the housing,

k. said contact strips being connected together in said housing by pressed engagement of the U-shaped portion of the said one strip in clamping engagement on the other strip,

1. means on said opposite sides of said housing supporting the latter in said slot with said switch arm in the path of the leading edge of the paper,

m. said housing being longitudinally adjustable in said slot to position said switch arm a selected distance up the guide,

n. and a signal device in said circuit energized by the closing of said switch to warn the typist that the last line to be typed has been reached. 

1. A signal device for typewriters to indicate when a sheet of paper has been typed to the desired distance from the bottom, comprising a. a paper guide, b. means arranged to mount said paper guide on a typewriter such that a sheet of paper being typed upon slides flatwise up the guide, c. means defining a longitudinal slot in said paper guide, d. an electric circuit having a source of potential, e. a switch in said circuit, f. a housing enclosing said switch having forward and rearward ends and opposite sides, g. said switch having a pair of contact strips of electrically conducting material, h. said contact strips projecting upwardly from said housing with one of said strips being stationary and the other strip being movable, i. said movable strip being forward of said stationary strip and being movable rearwardly into contact with said stationary strip when engaged by a leading edge of a sheet of paper moving up the guide, j. one of said strips comprising bendable material and having an insulated U-shaped bend around the other strip within the housing, k. said contact strips being connected together in said housing by pressed engagement of the U-shaped portion of the said one strip in clamping engagement on the other strip, l. means on said opposite sides of said housing supporting the latter in said slot with said switch arm in the path of the leading edge of the paper, m. said housing being longitudinally adjustable in said slot to position said switch arm a selected distance up the guide, n. and a signal device in said circuit energized by the closing of said switch to warn the typist that the last line to be typed has been reached. 